Our Services
Koreans are the largest group by single national origin in Koreatown. Yet, a range of government social and human services are available in a very fragmented or fractured way to Limited English Proficient and marginalized Koreans. One government department or nonprofit helps with a portion of an issue, if they help at all. As such, marginalized Koreans in Koreatown fall through systemic cracks. Other Asian American groups in Koreatown fare no better. Limited English Proficient Koreans and Asian Americans are the least likely to receive a huge range of benefits and opportunities. What we provide is case management and meaningful follow-up.
There are over 1000 homeless Koreans in Koreatown alone. They have been largely ignored by tenants rights organizations and the homeless industrial complex. Again, we are on the cusp of funding to assist homeless Koreans and Asians. We need a hub to store supplies, food, and to connect people to housing and services. We are on the cusp of receiving a multi-year grant to connect at risk or homeless Koreans to housing.
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We will start with Korean language services and translations to start and add other Asian languages as funding grows. Limited English Proficient, low-income Koreans need translation assistance for government documents, applications, and a range of written materials for critical services. Our in-house staff doesn’t merely translate words. We have decades of experience with American processes and systems. We have very high level Korean/English bilingual staff who can assist with meaningful and equitable translations and follow up for services. There is no nonprofit in Koreatown that does this. We also have contracting and grant opportunities to provide translation services for multiple government offices.
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Many Korean seniors do not know how to do things like resetting the PIN number for EBT cards or that they can ask their doctors for free canes or walkers. Meaningfully connect people to healthcare, CalFresh, CAPI, and Social Security. We don’t mean just application assistance. We mean following up to troubleshoot issues. We recently helped a Korean grandma get $24,000 in CAPI and CalFresh back pay payments. She was not receiving correct information and was given the runaround for almost two years. There are many more low-income seniors like her who are stuck in bureaucratic limbo.
A full suite of housing assistance including application assistance, section-8, tenants rights and advocacy, housing rights, and rental assistance. Currently, these services are fragmented and inconsistently offered by a potpourri of nonprofits; or not offered at all. As such, the eviction and displacement rates for low income Koreans is alarmingly high. We have in house experts on assistance for tenants. We have funding opportunities with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority to provide tenant’s behind on rent with money to pay back rent or money to pay security deposits and initial rent to move into a new place.
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There are over 750 homeless Korean youth in Koreatown alone. Many are LGBTQ+. We want to provide them a safe space to access health care, social services, obtain job training, and assistance to rent a home.We’re working with the Board of Supervisors new Youth Services Director.
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Asian enclaves throughout the United States are targeted by the gambling industrial complex. In particular, our low income Korean and Asian seniors who are lonely and isolated with nowhere else to go. Massive billboard advertisements litter the landscape. Some say they go to casinos during the summer for air conditioning. Free shuttle buses and coupons lure seniors, who will ultimately experience financial losses. Gambling wins are reported as income to the IRS, which can result in the loss of Social Security benefits. We want to offer game rooms, social hours, coffee/tea time for seniors, and air conditioning.
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We want to provide free English language classes. Many first generation immigrant Korean and Asian Americans, who are often entry level wage earners, never get a real opportunity to learn enough English to navigate life in America.
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Many low income, Limited English Proficient Koreans are unaware that they even have rights in America. As such, their voices go unheard. Korean voices go unheard in many urban and environmental planning initiatives and research that directly impact Koreatown. As such, Koreatown LA has the least amount of green space (canopy trees and parks) in all of Los Angeles. For years, we’ve been chasing down government offices and government contractors to get them to listen to Korean voices in Koreatown. If we had a fixed location to teach Limited English Proficient Koreans about civic engagement, we could hold more government offices and contractors accountable. We would have a say in how our communities are planned and improved. Korean and Chinese Americans have the highest rate of lung cancer from air pollution of all groups in the United States. It’s because we tend to be crowded in urban areas where we have no say in development and traffic flow. We have a sister nonprofit, a Community Land Trust. We are on the cusp of getting a two year capacity building grant from a foundation that we already have a relationship with. Again, we need a location where we can build capacity. We need a location to teach Korean speakers about the Community Land Trust model for permanent homeownership for low income people.
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Korean single parents often face additional layers of isolation. They may be ostracized by their families and community members. We connected a single Korean dad to connect with LA County’s In Home Supportive Services Provider Program (IHSS) and helped him navigate the process so that he can be a full time caregiver to his 10 year old daughter who has severe disabilities. We walked him through every step and ensured that he and his daughter were enrolled.
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We got California State to approve our multilingual apprenticeship program for workforce training. We need a location to implement the program. California state will also help with Federal government approval. These apprenticeship programs for Asian Americans could go nationwide. We will get assistance with funding once we have our first location. Korean and Asian Americans rarely benefit from apprenticeship programs. The first one we start with is just the tip of the iceberg. Apprenticeship programs can be fantastic opportunities for upward mobility for low income, working class, and blue collar Koreans and Asian Americans.
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We have contracts to sign people up for free phones and reduced price tables. We take the extra step of offering tech classes. Many Korean seniors don’t know how to access their email accounts. Many government services require email accounts. This turned into a major issue in October of 2022 when HACLA re-opened their section 8 lottery. We organized an application assistance event that included email assistance. Many seniors were turned away from another Korean language application assistance site because the volunteers didn’t know that email accounts are automatically on cell phones or they didn’t want to create email accounts for the seniors.
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We got a six month pilot program contract to survey and assist Korean speakers with public transportation issues. This contract helped us get a $50,000 foundation grant to leverage our work. We’re on the cusp of a 5 year contract to continue our six month contract.
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Many Korean and Asian American seniors who are eligible for free meals from LA City or LA County refuse them because they want rice and other culturally relevant foods. If we had a commercial kitchen, we could procure government contracts to prepare and distribute meals to our Korean and Asian American seniors. We have been working on procuring government contracts for four years. All we need is a commercial kitchen space. We could also get funding to be a congregate dining location that serves Korean and Asian foods.
